Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure, with a focus on inland waterways

Project Information

CRISTAL

Grant agreement ID: 101069838

DOI

10.3030/101069838

Project closed

EC signature date 7 June 2022

Start date 1 September 2022

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 6 837 452,50

EU contribution

€ 6 371 048,50

Coordinated by

SIEC BADAWCZA LUKASIEWICZ - POZNANSKI INSTYTUT TECHNOLOGICZNY
Poland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CRISTAL (Climate resilient and environmentally sustainable transport infrastructure, with a focus on inland waterways)

Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-02-29

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Despite its vast potential, the inland waterways market share in Europe remains relatively low, standing at only 5.8% in 2020. Recognizing the need for innovation and infrastructure development, CRISTAL is leading the charge toward a more sustainable and efficient transportation landscape:

- Revolutionizing inland waterways: CRISTAL is dedicated to advancing the field of inland waterways transport and infrastructure. Our goal? To develop innovative technologies that monitor transport chains and drive the evolution of business models, seamlessly integrating river transport into multimodal chains.

- Focus on underdeveloped routes: we're not just focusing on the major waterways – we're also championing smaller, commercially underdeveloped feedwater routes. By strengthening these crucial links within the TEN-T corridor framework, we're transforming IWT infrastructure into vital logistics nodes.

- International collaboration: CRISTAL is a collaborative effort spanning nine countries: Poland, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Greece, France, and the UK. Together, we're piloting the development of new technologies and services to fortify the role of IWT in Europe.

Ambitious goals: our project is driven by ambitious ambitions to reshape the transportation landscape:

- Shifting 20% of freight traffic: we're committed to transitioning a significant portion of freight traffic from land to inland waterways, reducing congestion and emissions.

- Enhancing transport reliability: through synchromodality and integration of river transport, we aim to increase transport reliability by a staggering 80%, assessed through three comprehensive case studies.

- Building resilient infrastructure: climate change resilience is paramount. CRISTAL focuses on increasing the operability and resilience of infrastructure, ensuring smooth navigation even in extreme weather conditions.

- Environmental sustainability: we're dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of inland waterway transport by utilizing recycled materials and implementing eco-friendly practices.

- Innovative governance models: CRISTAL is paving the way for cooperation across institutional, modal, and national boundaries through the development of new governance models.

- Cutting-edge technology: leveraging technological solutions such as automatic buoys, sensors, advanced business models, and a decision support system, we're optimizing resource planning and driving efficiency.

CRISTAL is a transformative journey as we navigate towards a brighter, more sustainable future for transportation. Together, we're charting a course towards innovation, collaboration, and progress.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The main tasks and achievements accomplished during the first period were divided into individual working groups. Work Package 1 (WP1) focused on refining pilot site scopes and interrelations, achieving timely submission of deliverables such as domain maps and stakeholder evaluations, providing insights into European inland waterway transport. WP2, led by ENEA, made significant progress in sensor technology development, including Fiber Optic Sensor System and Smart Buoy System, enhancing navigability and preventive maintenance. In WP3, CERTH laid foundations for Synchromodal Corridor Management System development, advancing tasks in early detection, real-time operations, and decision support services. WP4 achieved milestones in governance framework creation, business model formulation, and application to case studies, facilitating CRISTAL technology adoption. WP5 focused on developing a Digital Twin for inland waterways, completing tasks in requirements documentation, data management, and prototype development for pilots. WP6 conducted industry analysis, innovation planning, and technical validation of pilot environments, aiming to enhance European transportation sector efficiency and resilience. WP7 concentrated on asset management and navigability enhancement along Italian inland waterways, achieving progress in stakeholder mapping, technology identification, and forecasting model development. In WP8, efforts were made to improve river transport infrastructure in France, including negotiating data exchange agreements, deploying IoT devices for navigation facilitation, and managing flood risks using smart buoys. WP9 in River Pilot Poland conducted extensive research, market analysis, and conceptualization of a multifunctional reloading quay, along with the installation of Smart Buoys Technology to manage cargo time sensitivity, indicating positive reception for IWW transport solutions.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Moving forward in the CRISTAL project, our plan involves a series of coordinated actions that will help to achive the results beyond the state of the art:

Efforts will persist in validating CRISTAL sensor-based technologies in the laboratory and deploying them in River pilots for operational testing. Integration with other CRISTAL innovations such as SCMS and Digital Twins will advance to ensure interoperability with existing platforms used by the pilots.

The development and implementation of SCMS functionalities and services will progress, particularly in the Italian pilot case. This includes enhancing the system UI, integrating with external systems, and finalizing Use Cases. Testing will follow, with adjustments based on data source availability.

Living Lab efforts will focus on developing the living lab approach over the next 18 months, serving as a blueprint for setting up living labs in the three pilots to gather feedback from stakeholders and implement CRISTAL technologies effectively.

Completed tasks will pave the way for further development in the Digital Twins domain, with a focus on testing end-points and finalizing software documentation. Key efforts will include developing an alarm system for SCMS and integrating sensor data from AE and SIR.

Activities will progress in testing and analysis, encompassing pilot development, detailed analysis, and integration of outcomes into a comprehensive use case. This phase aims to assess the real-world impact of implemented solutions and synchronize intermodal services between modes.

Key initiatives in the upcoming period will include finalizing and fine-tuning the navigability model, developing a design for cold ironing plants, conducting GAP analysis, implementing a smart bulletin system, and supporting SCMS implementation in the Italian case.

Technology development will continue with a focus on managing risks, negotiating cost issues, and initiating technology testing in the upcoming period.

Market research and stakeholder engagement efforts will involve refining concepts for reloading quays, finalizing tariff proposals, and adjusting research strategies to deepen understanding of market needs. Additionally, Smart Buoys Technology deployment will expand, and pilot voyages will be planned and executed to monitor KPIs and gather data for future IWW initiatives.